The New Kid
by JJ Murilega
Summary: Hi, I'm Luka Evans. I've just moved to the small town of Forks, Washington. SLASH! FULL SUMMARY AND WARNINGS INSIDE
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The New Kid  
**Author: **JJ Murilega  
**Rating:** Well, this chapter is T but others will be NC17(AKA: M)  
**Summary: **Hi, I'm Luka Evans. I've just moved to the small town of Forks, Washington. On my first day of school, I managed to piss of the queen bee and discover that a clan of vegetarian vampires had been living there for the past few years. But there's something strange about one of the vampires. The feelings I get when I'm around him are like nothing I've ever felt before. Wait, now there's a pack of pissed off wolf-shifters, too? Oh, fucking _great_!  
**Parings: **Esme/Carlisle, Emmet/Rosalie, Alice/Jasper, Edward/MaleOC, Lots of OCs**  
Warnings:** multiple doses of slash, fem!slash, cross-dressing, lesbians and gays, violence, sexy situations

I woke with a start, heart pounding. The knife that I always slept with under my pillow was in my hand, tip pointed at the far wall. My eyes darted around, searching for a threat. After realizing that there was no threat other than my own imagination, my heart began to slow. The hand that held the knife came down to rest on the bed, palm splaying out atop the hilt. I closed my eyes, my other hand pushing my hair out of my face. _Just another nightmare, _I thought with relief.

I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower, turning the water on as high as it could go. The hot water ran over my body, forcing some of the more tense muscles to relax. I wasn't really surprised that I was having nightmares. Moving to a new place always seemed to trigger them. Jacqueline and Clarissa assured me that it was normal… I wasn't so sure.

_My first day at a new school. Goody._ With that thought in mind, I cleaned up and got dressed within thirty minutes.

It's not that I don't like school. It's just that I don't really like those first few weeks when all that anybody calls you is 'new kid' or 'new boy'. It also didn't help that it was the middle of January. Half the school year had already past. Academically, it wouldn't be too hard to catch up. Socially…_Oh, who am I kidding. I've never fit in with humans. The time of year has nothing to do with it. Well, with luck, maybe I'll meet at least one friend, _I hoped optimistically.

Completing my outfit, I checked my reflection.

Dark grey, almost black, eyes stared back at me. _I need to go hunting soon, _I thought. _Don't want to snap and attack someone if they get a paper cut or something. _I snorted. Yeah, that kind of shit would happen to me. My black hair brushed my shoulders and had many, messy layers, giving it a disheveled appearance that my sisters told me made me look 'sexy and mysterious'. I'm skinny and toned but not an obvious weightlifter. More like a gymnast or dancer than a football player. Dark eye lashes, a short stature, pale skin, and general body type make me look more feminine than masculine, which was just fine by me. I threw on some tight fitting black jeans, a clingy blue turtleneck, and an old black jacket that hung to half way down my thighs. I completed the outfit with mid-calf black and blue lace up boots, tucking a throwing knife into each of them just in case.

_Good enough,_ I thought.

Grabbing my black backpack, I ran down stairs to the kitchen, thankfully not getting lost.

My new house was huge, and I mean HUGE. It looked sort of like an old haunted Victorian mansion that you'd expect to come with some sort of curse attached to it. When I'd bought it, it had been in horrible shape. The paint was peeling, the outdated wall paper was moldy, the appliances weren't even usable! Now, everything looks so…fresh. Everything was clean, new paint was on the walls, new appliances, and not a trace of that tacky wallpaper anywhere. And I had done all that in a span of a few days. _Thank goodness for non-human speed and strength._

I devoured four bowls of cereal and a bagel in a span of twenty minutes, cleaning up after myself before digging around in my bag. I unzipped a hidden compartment in the main pocket and removed a key.

It took me a bit longer to find the garage. When I did, I hit the button to open the door and hopped into my dark blue Ferrari 458 Italia, placing my bag in the passenger seat. I started it up, smiling as I did so. Of all the going-away-gifts my family had gotten me, this was the by far the best.

"_Just try not to crash it, Luka," Jacqueline said as she handed me the keys. _

"_No promises," I grinned, giving her and Clarissa tight hugs as I said a heartfelt, "Thank you."_

I shook my head to clear it and backed out, making sure the garage door closed before heading off to school.

Forks High School had a population of only three hundred fifty-eight students, including me. That was smaller than my Junior class **alone** back at my old school.

"_Try to stay optimistic. If you be yourself, people will gravitate towards you. They usually do," Roxie shrugged from the doorway._

"_Oh yeah? Then why is it I have no friends here?" I asked her, unable to keep a trace of bitterness out of my voice. I sighed. "Sorry. I don't mean to be such a bitch, I just…I'm a little…"_

"_Scared?" She questioned, a slight smile on her lips._

"_Maybe," I grumbled. _

_She laughed. "Good." My head snapped up to look at her. Her eyes softened as she came over to sit next to me on my bed. "Luke, I'd be more worried if you __**weren't **__apprehensive about this. You're going to be living on your own for the first time. It doesn't exactly help that you're also going into completely unknown territory without any of the people with whom you've become acquainted to spending your time." She shrugged. "It's only natural to be nervous."_

"_I hate nature."_

_Roxie grinned darkly. "Luke, trust me, you'd hate her a whole hell of a lot more if you were a girl."_

Lost in my thoughts, I almost didn't see the sign proclaiming the scattering of less than a dozen small brick buildings, slightly hidden by trees and other greenery, to in fact be Forks High School. I turned sharply onto school grounds, thankful that I was early so no one else was there to witness the probably illegal maneuver.

I drove over to the building marked FRONT OFFICE and parked in one of the front spots. No one was there, so I figure no one would mind.

I walked down a hedge-lined stone path and into the small office. The small room was made even smaller by the long counter that cut it in half – atop which sat a few wire baskets, while neon flyers of all colors were taped to its front. On one side was the waiting area – padded folding chairs, a hideous orange-flecked carpet, a loudly ticking clock along with awards and notices nearly covering the walls – and on the other were three desks for the secretaries.

Behind one of said desks was a woman with red hair, glasses, and a purple tee shirt. The name plate on her desk declared her to be Shelly Cope. She looked up at the sound of my entrance.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

I put on a charming smile. "Well I sure hope so. My name is Luka Evans. I am a new student here as of today."

The woman's eyes widened. "Oh yes, of course." The woman, slightly flustered, dug through one of the stacks of papers on her desk, gathered a few, and brought them over to me. "Here are your class schedule and map of the school." She was then nice enough to go through my schedule with me and highlight the best routes to each of the classes on the map. She handed me a pink slip of paper. "One last thing. I need you to have all your teachers sign this and bring it back here at the end of the day. If I'm not here, you can just put it in this," she held up one of the baskets. She smiled. "I hope you have a wonderful time here in Forks."

I smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you very much. I hope so, too."

By the time I got back outside, the other students were starting to arrive. I jumped back in my car and played follow-the-leader with the van in front of me. Unfortunately, most of the other cars were older, so my car got me quite a few appreciative and curious looks. I did notice one other car that stood out in the crowd – a silver Volvo. Not as nice as mine, but still. At least I wasn't only one who stood out.

I parked next to the Volvo, hoping it would make me stand out a little less, and proceeded to memorize my schedule and map. I stashed the papers in my bag, shoving my keys into my pocket.

Trying to ignore the prying eyes of the student body, I made my way over to my first class – English in building three.

The teacher, Mr. Mason, was a tall, balding man, pale like the rest of this town's population. I brought the slip up for him to sign. His eyes just about popped out of his head when he saw that he had the new kid in his class. He recovered quickly, though, and signed it without a word, handing it back to me along with a few other papers. Thankfully, he sent me to a seat in the back of the classroom. _At least now they won't be able to stare at me all class,_ I thought.

Oh how wrong I was.

I kept my gaze glued to the reading list Mr. Mason had given me – Bronte, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Faulkner…booooring. I'd already read all of the books on the list at least once.

_Well, I guess this means I can expect to pass English with flying colors, _I thought, already getting bored.

I tuned out most of what the teacher said that period. Before long, the bell rang, signaling the end of English.

As I gathered my things, a lanky boy with acne and dark, oily hair came up to me. The smile on his face told me he was probably one of those helpful-to-a-fault people. "You're the new kid, right?" He asked. Of course, by this point everyone who hadn't already left had turned to stare at us.

I smiled. "Yep, that's me. Although, I prefer Luka over 'new kid', if you don't mind."

He smiled. "I'm Eric. What's your next class?"

"Government in building six with Mr. Jefferson," I replied.

He looked surprised. Probably because I hadn't had to look at my schedule. "Okay. I'm heading over to building 4 but I could show you the way."

_Oh yeah, defiantly overly helpful. _I smiled. "That would be great."

I waited as he grabbed his jacket before we both walked out. A few people made sure to be within hearing range of us as we walked. I rolled my eyes. _And so the gossip begins._

We made small talk for a few minutes. Eric was obviously trying to make me feel a bit more comfortable.

"Well, here we are."

I looked up and sighed. _Here we go again. _I turned and smiled at Eric. "Thanks. See you later."

"Yeah. Maybe we'll have some other classes together."

"Maybe."

I walked into a class room that looked pretty much like the one I had just come from. Government went virtually the same way as English – I got a seat in the back, the other students still managed to stare at me, and I pretended to take notes while actually drawing in my notebook.

Absorbed in my picture, I was startled when a timid finger poked at my shoulder. I jumped and looked up at a small brunette girl with glasses.

"Sorry if I startled you. It's just that the bell rang and I wasn't really sure if you'd heard it," the girl said.

I looked around to see that, sure enough, most of the room had already emptied out. As I put away my stuff, I said, "Thank you. I just get so absorbed in my drawings sometimes, you know?"

The girl nodded. "My name's Angela Webber. You're Lucas, right? Lucas Evans?"

I smiled at her, picking up my bag. "Hey Angela. Actually, my name's just Luka, not Lucas." We walked out the door and back into the crowd of teens. "Uh, do you think you could point me in the direction of building five? I've got Trig with Mr. Varner next."

The girl seemed to brighten at that. "Me, too."

I smiled. "Well then," I made a dramatic sweeping gesture with my arm, "lead the way, milady."

She blushed, but also smiled.

"Ah ha! So you _can_ smile!" I teased.

She smiled even wider. "Yes."

As we walked and talked, I couldn't help but notice that I was much more comfortable around her than I had been around Eric. It wasn't that I didn't like other guys, quite the opposite, it's just that I've always been more comfortable around girls. Probably had something to do with the fact that I grew up in a family that was predominantly female.

We walked into the classroom and again I handed the slip to the teacher. Mr. Varner signed it and handed me a book. I went to grab a seat but he stopped me.

"Hold on just a moment," Mr. Varner said as the bell rang a second time, signaling the official beginning of class. "I would like you to introduce yourself to the class and tell us one interesting thing about yourself."

"Um, okay." I faced the rest of the class, who were now looking at me with wide, curious eyes. Oh, great. "Hey. I'm Luka Evans, although most of you probably know me as 'the new kid'." A few laughs. "And, no, my name is not short for Lucas. My birth certificate says 'Luka'. An interesting fact, huh? To be honest, I'm not all that interesting. Uh…The best thing I can think of is that I'm the only guy in a family of ten."

That drew a few whispers and giggles. Some of the males were giving me envious looks, and I could hear some of the females talking about how because I'd grown up around woman, surely I _must _know _so_ much more about women than some of the other _idiots _in this town. Their words, not mine.

I took my seat in the back corner, next to Angela and behind a short girl with an abundance of brown hair.

The next couple of classes flew by in a flurry of 'how are you liking Forks?' and 'hi my name is such-and-such' and 'is Luka short for Lucas?'. After a few periods, I began to notice that I was seeing some of the same faces in my classes.

One girl, the short female with curly brown hair and blue eyes, sat in front of me in Trig and also sat next to me in Spanish. Her name was Jessica, I think. She walked me to lunch, chattering about all the teachers – which ones to suck up to, which ones _hated _being sucked up to, who to buy what for on the holidays, etc. She seemed nice enough, but something about her rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it was because she hadn't stopped flirting with me since we'd met. She clung to my arm, putting pressure on it with her small breasts and leading me over to a table nearly full of rambunctious teens. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

Eric waved at me from across the room. I shifted my food-filled tray and shook Jessica off my arm so I could wave back, silently thanking Eric for the excuse to get the girl off me. We went over to join the table of Jessica's friends. I recognized Angela amongst them. Jessica introduced me to the rest of their group.

There was Mike, a cute blond-hair-blue-eyed boy who was a good three inches taller than me with an athletic build. A girl with corn silk blond hair and fishy green eyes introduced herself as Lauren. She and Jessica seemed intent on throwing themselves at me. _Hmmm…I wonder how long it'll take them to figure out I'm gay… _Next to her was an athletic looking black boy named Tyler and a blue eyed brunet named Conner. I was a bit disappointed that none of the guys seemed outright gay, although I was pretty sure Mike and Conner were questioning, if not bi. Most of them were pretty nice but only seemed curious, like I was some sort of new toy. The only exceptions were Angela – who actually seemed to get I wasn't some sort of new Disney land exhibit – and Conner, who mostly just kept to himself. All and all, the only one I really hit it off with was Angela.

I was intermediating between eating, ignoring Jessica and Lauren, and talking with Angela about the boring book list we had in English (she was also a bit of a bookworm and had already read most of them), when I sensed them.

I carefully kept my expression neutral even as I tensed, ready for a fight. _Vampires. _The thought flitted through my mind as I tensed. _Shit._ Then I frowned. _Wait a minute. Why would there be vampires in a town like Forks? And so many, for that matter. It feels like there's at least four or five of them. Wouldn't the locals notice all the people they feed on disappearing? _I looked over my shoulder, trying to locate the group. They weren't that hard to find, honestly.

They were sitting at a table in the far corner of the room. There were indeed five of them; two females, three males.

They were all looking away from each other but I could see their mouths move from time to time, like they were talking. I couldn't tell what was being said, though, as their lips moved too fast to read and their voices were too soft to hear over the din of the other students.

All of them were very pale, paler than any human. One of the females was a very petit, pixie-like girl with short, spiky, dark hair. Next to her was a fit blond boy who looked like he was in some sort of pain. On her other side was the other female, a blond girl who even I had to admit was beautiful. Sitting with his hand in hers was a big, intimidating male with curly brown hair and large muscles, defiantly a serious weight lifter.

But it was the third male, sitting in between the other two males, that most caught my attention. I had honestly never seen anyone or anything so…absolutely _gorgeous_ in all my life. He was more lean than the other males, less muscular, but had a body that would make Adonis himself green with envy. He was a good five or six inches taller than my own 5'8". The bronze hair atop his head had this hot just-got-out-of-bed-after-a-really-great-fuck look to it. His long, delicate fingers were picking at a bagel, tearing it to pieces as his juicy red lips moved at lightning speed.

Just as I looked over, the small girl's gaze shifted and I suddenly found myself gazing into twin pools of dark golden-brown. I swear I saw her smile before we each looked away from each other, she going back to talking with the blond boy, I looking down on my now empty tray, slightly embarrassed that I had been caught staring.

_Wait a minute, gold? Shouldn't their eyes be red? That's odd…Oh! I get it! They must be one of those 'vegetarian' clans Clarissa told me about. They feed only on animals, like we do._

I felt something poking lightly at my mental shields and immediately strengthened them. _Who's trying to get into my mind? Probably one of the vampires. The small girl, maybe? What are their names, I wonder?_

I turned back to Angela who had a knowing smile on her face.

"What are you looking at?" Jessica asked, pushing out her chest and batting her eyes. She looked over in the direction I'd been staring and seemed to deflate a bit. "Oh," she said, a bit disappointed. "Those are the Cullens. The big one is Emmet Cullen, the blondes are Rosalie and Jasper Hale, the little one is Alice Cullen, and the other boy is Edward Cullen. They moved here, like, two years ago from somewhere in Alaska. Their father's a doctor who works at the local hospital."

_Did I ask? But still… a doctor, huh? He must have amazing bloodlust control for a job like that. _I was impressed, to say the least. "That's nice."

The poke on my mental blocks was getting stronger, turning into more of a push.

"Yeah, I guess." She must have thought I was thinking of making a move on one of them or something (_which you _so_ are, _my subconscious added) because she quickly added, "Don't even bother, though. They're all together. Like, _together._ Rosalie and Emmet and Alice and Jasper. I'm not even sure that's legal," She said with envy in her voice.

_So Edward is the only one who's still un-mated, huh? Interesting… I imagine that must get annoying, though, _I thought.

"They aren't _actually _related, Jess," Lauren said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, yeah, but they _live_ together, it's _weird_."

"I'm guessing that they're adopted," I said, curious despite myself. I don't like gossip, but I needed to know as much as I could about the five potential threats sitting across the room.

The pressure on my shields grew strong, giving me a bit of a headache. I rubbed my forehead for a moment, trying to alleviate some of the pressure.

"Yeah, they are. Well, Rosalie and Jasper are twins. Mrs. Cullen is, like, their aunt or something. Doctor and Mrs. Cullen are both really young still, like in their twenties or thirties or something, but they adopted them when the five of them were, like, little kids." She said that as though it was a bad thing.

"That's so nice of them. To take care of so many children like that, even when they're so young themselves," I said, secretly thinking; _And now I realize why she rubbed me the wrong way – this girl is a huge bitch. A huge gossiping bitch. I wonder if anyone would mind if I punch her? Then again, probably not the best of ideas in a room full of human witnesses and hungry vampires. I wonder how old these vamps __**really **__are, anyway. The doctor is probably at least a hundred years old if he is able to resist the temptation of human blood so easily._

The push on my mental shields got stronger still. The pain made my skull throb dully. _I wish whoever is doing that would just give up, _I thought, rubbing my head again.

Jessica frowned. "I guess." I got the feeling she didn't like the Cullens too much. _From the looks of her, she had probably asked one of them out and got turned down. Ha ha, serves you right, bitch._ "I don't think Mrs. Cullen can have kids, though. That's probably why they adopted so many," she said, condemnation in her voice.

My blood began to boil. _Okay, that's it. _I turned my head and glared at her, causing her to do a bit of a double take. When I spoke my voice was hard, furious. "So what? It's none of my damn business whether or not she is infertile and it certainly isn't any of _yours _either. Besides which, since when does sterility suddenly make you a bad person? And did it ever occur to you that maybe, just _maybe_, they adopted those kids out of the goodness of their hearts?"

The pressure on my mind let up a bit, then came back ten-fold.

_Fuck, that hurts!_

I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking a bit. I hadn't hunted recently so my energy was low and the push on my mental shields was stronger than anything I'd ever felt. All it wanted was for me to give in, to drop the barriers. Just as I was about to give in, I stood up, careful to keep at a human pace as I threw my trash away and stalked out into the cool air of the outside world. The pressure let up as I got further away from the hall, stopping completely by the time I got to the picnic tables.

I sighed, flopping into one of them. _Well, at least it's stopped raining. For now, _I thought, looking up at the clouds looming above. Suddenly realizing that I'd forgotten my bag in the cafeteria, I groaned. _Aw, great. _

As I was contemplating whether or not I should go back and get it, someone cleared their throat. I looked up to see Angela.

I smiled. "Hey."

She smiled back uncertainly. "Hey. I'm sorry about Jessica. She's kind of a…"

"Bitch?"

Angela gave a shy smile, taking a seat on the other side of the bench. "I was going for 'gossip queen' but that works, too."

Suddenly, my bag was dropped onto the table with a dull THUNK.

A small girl with a curly bob of dark hair and bright blue-green eyes stood at the foot of the table, staring at us. Stylishly ripped baggy jeans, a green tee shirt, and a white sweatshirt adorned her petite body. I recognized her from my English and Spanish classes.

"Um, hi," I said.

"Hi! I'm Krystal Bates," she said, holding out her hand.

I looked at it for a minute before shaking the offered appendage. "Hey. I'm-"

"Lucas Evans. I know."

I smiled. "Actually, no. I'm Luka Evans, not Lucas Evans. Thank you for getting my bag, though. I was sort of dreading having to go back in there."

She nodded, sitting down across from me, next to Angela. "Sure. It's the least I can do after what you said to that bitch, Jessica."

I laughed. "Oh, good, so it wasn't just me," I said.

She shook her head. "Uh-uh. Trust me, most people know she's a bitch but they let it go 'cause she and Lauren have most of the jocks and teachers on their sides."

Angela nodded her agreement.

"Goody," I grumbled. "First day of school and already the queen bee is out to get me."

Angela smiled sympathetically and Krystal shrugged just as the bell rang. "Yes!" she exclaimed, punching her fist in the air. At my look, she explained, "I've got biology next. I _love _bio!"

"I have bio next, too," I said with a smile.

"Seriously? Oh, awesome! C'mon, we'll show you the way," She said, getting up.

"We?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at Angela as she stood along with us.

She nodded. "Krystal and I are lab partners."

"Cool," I said, falling into step between them. We earned ourselves quite a few looks, the rumor mills already going strong.

Suddenly, Krystal looked a bit unsure. "Actually, you might want to get someone else to show you the way. I'm not especially…well-liked in this school. AKA you might end up getting yourself shunned just by walking with me."

"It won't do me any harm. After I followed you out just now, Jessica's probably trashing me, too," Angela said, biting her lip.

I lifted a brow and weaved my arms through one of Krystal's and one of Angela's. "Girls, I have _never_ gone out of my to be popular in any of my old schools. Why in the hell would I start now?"

The two girls laughed.

I brought the slip of paper up to Mr. Banner when we got there. He signed it, handed me a book, and pointed me to the only empty seat. Next to the one and only Edward Cullen. I sighed, knowing that he and his siblings had probably heard the whole conversation at lunch. _Of course._

"I'll see you later, girls," I said as they took their seats in the front row.

"See ya," Krystal said with a wave and a smile.

Angela smiled, too, as she said, "Bye."

I slid into my seat, noting that my partner was also fairly tense. He was leaning as far away from me as possible, hands clutching at the table like a lifeline. I peaked at him out of the corner of my eyes to find that his eyes were also on me.

Bad move.

I found myself forgetting to breath as I was suddenly enthralled, falling into the deep, dark lakes of his eyes. Every fiber of my being suddenly seemed to want to be close with him in any and every way possible. Nothing else mattered, only him. Only us. I wanted to reach out and map the planes of his perfect, snow white face with my hand, down his neck, his chest, his waist, his – _Okay, do NOT go there!_ I scolded myself. The emotions further darkening his eyes told me he felt it as well. The irresistible pull. But, there was something else in those eyes, too. Frustration? Hatred? Anger? _What the hell?_

Edward's eyes tore away from mine and I forced myself to look away, back down at the desk. I took a deep, ragged breath and realized my stomach was tingling, a strange feeling I had never before experienced. I frowned, placing a hand over my stomach.

_Am I getting sick or something?_

Then suddenly, that same presence from the cafeteria was there, in my mind, pushing at my mental shields, trying with all its might to knock them down. I could feel his heavy gaze and knew without a doubt that the presence was _him_. _He _was trying to get inside my mind. _He _somehow had the ability to get inside others minds in the first place. _He _was starting to give me one hell of a headache.

I braced myself, letting the shields down just long enough to think one thought. _You know, it's kinda rude to attempt to invade somebody's mind without getting their permission first, _I thought, annoyed. With that, I put my shields back up.

I smirked a bit at the sharp intake of breath beside me, turning my head to get a better look at his face. He was obviously shocked. Irritation and confusion flitted across his eyes, his perfect face still expressionless. That face. _What I would give to get the chance to draw him. I wonder if he would model for me. Maybe a nude model?_ I mentally slapped myself and pushed those thoughts aside for now, forcing myself to look at Mr. Banner as the bell rang again, signaling the beginning of class.

He wrote the topic of the day at the top of the board. CELLULAR ANATOMY. A topic I already had memorized. I pretended to take notes anyway, once more drawing in my notebook. I was careful not to look over at the boy next to me. I could feel his gaze whenever it turned on me, burning holes straight through to my soul. The heat of that gaze alone caused me to shiver more than once.

After a half hour, I couldn't take it anymore. I peeked up at him, hoping he wouldn't catch me.

Of course, he did anyway.

His eyes, now coal black, bore into mine. His face was impassive, but his eyes told all he was feeling; confusion, curiosity, lust … but also anger and fear. The lust had me shivering with want but the anger and the fear confused me.

My brow furrowed, I asked in a voice too low for a human to hear. "What did I do? Why are you so…angry with me?"

He looked away, towards the blackboard. I sighed, knowing he wasn't going to answer me just yet, and went back to drawing mindlessly, not really paying attention to what my pencil was doing. When I glanced back up a moment later, he was staring at my paper, a myriad of expressions in his eyes.

I frowned. "What?" I followed his line of sight. I soon realized what he'd been looking at and found myself flushing. The picture I had been drawing was a portrait. Of him. Horrified, I quickly flipped to a new page, my face tomato red. I was sure even my hair was blushing by now.

I refused to look at him as I started on a new picture, this time actually paying attention to what I was doing. I drew who I always drew when I was confused; my family. I started off with Clarissa and Jacqueline. The image of them from last year's New Year's party floated into the forefront of my mind. They were slow dancing, holding each other close. Clarissa had her head in the junction of Jacqueline's throat and shoulder while Jacqueline rested her cheek atop Clarissa's head. I was just starting to draw some of the decorations around them when I accidentally pushed my eraser off the desk with my elbow. I was going to catch it but a smooth, pale hand beat me to it. Slowly, I reached out and took the eraser, but the hand still didn't move. I followed the hand and arm with my eyes up to Edward Cullen's face, so close to mine I could smell the sweetness of his breath. Edward's eyes met mine and held them. They were still irate but also searching, questioning, and held a hint of something else…something I couldn't begin to decipher…

The splitting sound of the bell ringing brought us back to our senses. Edward Cullen was the first one packed and out of the room.

I stared after him, a bit dumbfounded before letting out a breath I hadn't been aware I'd been holding.

"I can see that went well," Krystal said as she and Angela walked up to me, her brow raised curiously.

I frowned. "Not as well as I'd hoped, I'm afraid." I slung my bag over my shoulder.

"Please tell me you have gym next," Angela pleaded.

I went along with the subject change, thankful for it. "Um, actually I _do _have gym next. Why?"

"Yes!" Krystal exclaimed. Both girls looked happy.

"Again I ask, why?"

"Both of us have gym next, too," Angela replied, smiling.

I smiled back. "Awesome! So, what are we going to be playing?"

"Volleyball," Krystal said with a shrug. "Not my favorite sport but…"

I nodded. "Same. I like the exercise but I'd choose a different game if it were up to me."

"I'd much rather read or play piano."

My eye brows raised. "You play piano, Angela?"

"Uh-huh. My parents forced me to take lessons when I was younger but I've actually grown to like it."

We reached the gym and I sensed them before I'd even opened the doors. Standing between to doorways to the locker rooms were Edward Cullen and two of his siblings._ Per-fucking-fect._

The three of them looked at me as I walked in. I tensed but held my head high and walked over. The small female – _Alice_, my memory supplied – giggled a bit before going into the girls' locker room, Krystal and Angela not far behind her. Alice's mate and Edward watched me as I walked. I felt that gaze on me as I walked by. _At least these jeans make my ass look good, _I couldn't help but think.

I walked over to Coach Clapp. He held out a pile of clothing – maroon sweat pants and a yellow tank top.

_Ugh. Yellow is so not my color, _I thought with a bit of distaste.

"There's your uniform," Coach Clapp stated. "Now, I realize today was probably a bit stressful. Therefore, I am giving you the option to sit out for this class."

I blinked. "Actually, sir, I would prefer it if you would allow me to play. I think the exercise would be helpful in relieving some of my stress, sir."

The coach looked flattered at the 'sir's. "Well, if that's how you feel, go change quick, or we'll start without you."

I smiled at him. "Yes, sir."

I human-ran over to the door of the locker rooms and was about to reach out and open it when it swung open. Of course, there stood Edward and his brother, fully in uniform. We just sort of stood there for a moment, having a three way staring contest. His sweat pants rode low on his hips, leaving a thin strip of pale skin naked in between them and the small yellow top. Now that he was in that tight, sleeveless shirt, I could clearly see the muscle definition Edward had. I stared at him unabashedly. _Wow. This guy is…wow. No one should look so good in sweats and a god-awful yellow tank top, but he...geezums._

"Are you going to stand there all day or can I pass?" I asked, trying to get the image of what Edward might look like **out **of his clothes out of my mind.

The other male – _Jasper_, I finally remembered – seemed to get his wits about him first, stepping aside. Edward was still standing there, though, and I brushed by him on my way through the door. A shiver made its way down my spine as our arms touched. I could feel his cold even through the fabric of my jacket and shirt. I had been touched by vampires before, of course, but this was different. Instead of just being plain cold, Edward was…electric. That was the only way to describe how his touch felt. Electric.

I gulped and forced my now shaking legs to walk. I changed as quickly as I could, not bothering to keep the human façade in an empty locker room. _I could look worse, _I thought as I snuck a quick peek at the mirror. The faded sweat pants were baggy and the tank top was a bit too tight.

By the time I got back into the main room, everyone had already split into partners. I noticed that everyone was paired up boy-girl. To my dismay, I saw that Krystal and Angela already had partners – Angela with Eric and Krystal with a boy I had yet to meet.

"Evans!" Coach Clapp called me over.

"Yes, sir?" I asked, very conscious of the fact that Edward was standing right next to him.

"Most of what we do in this class is going to be in partners or groups. At the beginning of the year, everyone picked a partner. Cullen, here, has been working with his siblings because of the odd number of people, but now that you're here, you two are going to be partners. We clear?"

_Fate has seriously got it in for me, hasn't she?_

I looked over at Edward. After a moment hesitation, he gave a curt nod and walked over to his siblings.

"Crystal, sir," I replied, still watching Edward.

I human-jogged over to where Edward and his siblings were standing. To my surprise, his sister held out her hand as Coach Clapp went over the plan for the day.

"Hello! This is Jasper and I'm Alice, as you already know," she smiled, gesturing to herself and her mate with the hand she wasn't holding out. She really did remind me of a pixie.

_Well, at least one of them is friendly. _I shook her hand firmly. "Hey. I'm Luka. Although, you probably already know that."

She smiled, dropping my hand. "Yep. But it's nice to finally have a proper introduction."

I quirked a brow, raising it higher when I saw the glare Edward was shooting his sister.

"Alice," he said in a warning tone.

His voice alone had heat pooling in my lower regions. _Oh, that voice._ I suddenly found myself very glad for the bagginess of my sweat pants.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, lighten up, Edward." Alice turned back to me. "We are going to be great friends."

I smiled. I liked this girl. "You seem so sure."

The smile was returned with a grin. "I am."

"Okay!" Coach Clapp yelled. "Here are the groups for today: Newton and Stanley vs. Bates and Bates, Webber and Yorkie vs. McNabb and Dowling, Marshal and Richardson vs. Garnet and Crowley, Cullen and Cullen vs. Cullen and Evans. Grab a ball, pick a court and go!"

Alice and Edward were the ones closest to the net while Jasper stood behind Alice and I stood behind Edward.

Alice grinned at us through the net. "Good luck boys," she said as she served the ball.

I was pretty… distracted the whole game and ended up not scoring too many points. By the end of the hour, the game was tied 3-3. Although, if the four of us hadn't been putting up the whole human charade, I was pretty sure Alice and Jasper would have won.

Coach Clapp blew his whistle and yelled, "Okay, everyone, hit the showers!"

Not breathing any harder than usual, I walked up to the net and grinned at our opponents. "Good game," I said, holding out my hand.

Alice smiled and shook it. Her eyes flickered to where her brother stood behind me and her smile widened before she danced off to the locker room, Jasper going as well. I turned around to see Edward looking directly at me. The look in his eyes…hunger. There was hunger in those black eyes, and I knew it wasn't only for blood.

Suddenly, the irritation was back, pushing the hunger away. His lids cut off my view as they closed tightly, fists clenching at his sides. Without a word, he turned and stalked off into the locker room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

_I knew it. He feels it too. But why? We've only just met. We shouldn't being feeling so…_ And that was where my thought process stopped. Because I didn't really know what to call this feeling. Attraction? Yes, that was there, but it was more, so much stronger than just something purely physical. What puzzled me even more, though, was the annoyance. What could I have possibly done to make him so angry with me?

As I pondered this, I walked into the locker rooms and stripped down, taking my time in putting back on my clothes. The other boys hurriedly changed into their casual clothes, eager for the end of the day. By the time I was done, everyone else had left, but I could still feel the presence of the three vampires in the gym. After a few more minutes of waiting, they left as well.

I walked up the path to the front office to drop off the annoyingly pink paper. I was able to feel his presence before I was even half way there. _That's strange. I didn't notice it before but I can sense him from farther away than I can most others._

By the time I got to the door, I got the general gist of why he was there. He was talking to Ms. Cope in a low, sultry voice that immediately had all my blood rushing south. The topic of conversation, however, had it stopping cold. Edward was trying to get his sixth and seventh period classes switched to something else – anything else. Ms. Cope, flustered, told him that she was sorry but there wasn't anything left for those two periods, everything else was full.

Deciding I'd heard enough, I opened the door and walked right in, making sure my arm made contact with Edward's as I leaned against the counter. Electricity shivered through my body. "Here's that paper you wanted, Ms. Cope," I said, handing her the hot pink slip while trying to keep my voice warm and my smile steady as my arm brushed against Edward's. I turned to face the very tense vampire, keeping my voice conversational as I said, "Oh, hello, Edward. I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?" I felt him stiffen further beside me. His gaze met mine and I let my eyes show that, yes, I had heard what he'd said and, yes, I was pissed as all hell. His eyes narrowed before he whirled around and walked out without a word. I turned back to Ms. Cope. "Well, that was odd. Hope I didn't offend him. Good day, Ms. Cope."

The woman nodded with a vague smile. Even without the ability to read minds, I could tell she was thinking about Edward. I walked out and over to the student parking lot.

_What the fuck was that all about? Does he really hate me that much? What the hell!_

I could still feel his presence as I walked, seething, to my car. The closer to my car I got, the stronger it grew. _Oh great. What is he, waiting for me in my own car? _As I got closer, I noticed that I could now sense all five of the vamps in close proximity to one another. I looked around the parking lot and my eyes came to rest on the silver Volvo I had parked next to. Sitting inside were none other than – _Drum roll, please! _– the Cullens. _Okay, seriously? I'm all for coincidences but this is starting to get a little creepy. I feel like I'm in one of those 'boys love' novels that Hana reads sometimes. _

_You mean the BL novels you __**and**__ Hana read, sometimes, _my subconscious reminded me.

_Oh, shut up. _

I could feel gazes on me as I got into my car. The Volvo started up and peeled out before I even had time to turn on the radio and blast the heat.

_That asshole! _I thought to myself as I drove out. _I haven't been here a full day and he seems like he's already decided he hates me! What the fuck! _I took a deep breath, closing my eyes briefly. I mentally relived my day, trying to find something that I'd done that might make him dislike me.

_Maybe it was what I said at lunch? No, that can't be it. I defended one of his clan. That should make him __**like**__ me, if anything._

At this point, I had arrived back home. I shrugged out of my jacket and threw it over the back of one of the living room couches. I grabbed an apple Izze from the mini-fridge and plopped down on the couch, still thinking.

_Maybe he was irritated because we were talking about them in the first place? _I asked myself, sipping the bubbly drink. I leaned forwards, putting my elbows on my legs as I stared at the glass bottle as though it could give me all the answers. I sighed, running a hand through my shaggy hair.

…_Why do I care so much about what this guy thinks of me, anyway? He's __**one guy**__. And it's not like he's given me much of a reason to! Sure, he's sexy as hell, but he also obviously doesn't want anything to do with me…I'm probably just an annoyance to him. Just yet another fucker throwing themselves at his feet. Great, now instead of angry and confused, I'm depressed and confused._ I gulped down half of the fruity soda before placing it on the coffee table in front of me.

I picked up my remote, flopping back and flipping on the TV, hoping to distract myself. Nothing good was on so I ended up watching some CSI reruns.

At about a quarter to six, my phone started buzzing in my pocket. I picked up. "Yeah?"

"Hello, Luka!"

I smiled. "Hey, Clarissa. How are you?"

"Oh, just fine, dear. What about you? Today was your first day of school, correct?"

I sighed. "Yeah, yeah it was."

"Uh-oh. I know that tone. Something happened." It wasn't a question.

"It's nothing."

I heard a sigh on the other end. Clarissa said something I couldn't make out before a new voice reached my ear.

"What's up?" Jacqueline asked.

"It's nothing," I repeated, getting irritated. Did Clarissa honestly think I would do anything if she put Jacqueline on the phone?

"If it was nothing, Clarissa wouldn't have put me on. Now, what happened?"

I huffed irritably, running my hand through my hair again. "…it's really stupid. Not even worth your time."

"…Fine, then. We love you. If you need to talk about it, we'll be here. Until then, bye."

I frowned. "Wait, what?" But it was too late, she'd already hung up. _That was…weird…usually she'd keep pushing…and she never hangs up on me unless she's mad…_

I contemplated her behavior, wondering if I'd upset her.

An explosion from the television brought me out of my musings. I sighed. _No matter how long I live with them, I doubt I'll ever understand girls._

I flipped the TV off and walked to the kitchen to start on dinner. I dug my iPod out of my pockets and plugged it into the dock, turning all my songs on shuffle. Green Day blared from the speakers and I smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** The New Kid  
**Author: **JJ Murilega  
**Rating:** Well, this chapter is T but others will be NC17(AKA: M)  
**Summary: **Hi, I'm Luka Evans. I've just moved to the small town of Forks, Washington. On my first day of school, I managed to piss of the queen bee and discover that a clan of vegetarian vampires had been living there for the past few years. But there's something strange about one of the vampires. The feelings I get when I'm around him are like nothing I've ever felt before. Wait, now there's a pack of pissed off wolf-shifters, too? Oh, fucking _great_!  
**Parings: **Esme/Carlisle, Emmet/Rosalie, Alice/Jasper, Edward/MaleOC, Lots of OCs**  
Warnings:** multiple doses of slash, fem!slash, cross-dressing, lesbians and gays, violence, sexy situations

I drove to school early the next day, intent on finding some way to corner Edward and demand to know what the hell his problem was.

Somehow.

Unfortunately, it didn't exactly work out that way. I sat in my car for a good twenty minutes before they showed up, but not in the Volvo. No, they were in a big Jeep that probably belonged to the large male. And by 'they', I mean Alice, Jasper, the large male, and the blond female. No Edward. I frowned. _Maybe he's coming in late._

I attempted to study for the vocabulary quiz we had in English but I found my mind was too full of…other thoughts to concentrate.

A few minutes before the first bell would ring, I got out of my car and started over to building 3.

"Luka!" The call of my name made me turn just in time to see Krystal jogging over.

I smiled, drawing the girl into a hug. She didn't seem too surprised and just went with it. "Morning, Krystal. How are you?"

She gave me a look as we pulled away. "I'm in school," she deadpanned.

I laughed. "Yeah, pretty much."

The bell rang.

"Ugh, great, we have English first."

I shrugged as we started walking. "I like English but I've already read all the books on the list so…"

"Lucky. Gonna be a pretty easy year for you, huh?"

"More like boring."

She laughed. "See, I've never had that problem. Reading's never been my thing."

The next few classes flew by in a haze fueled by my lack of sleep the previous night. I talked with Angela and Krystal while ignoring Jessica as she glared and gossiped loudly about me, and that's all I really cared to process.

By the time lunch came, I was having trouble concentrating on what Krystal was saying as we came nearer and nearer to the cafeteria.

Of course, that had nothing to do with the fact that I would get to see Edward again. Nope. Not even a little.

As soon as we entered, I absolutely did **not** sweep the room with my eyes. I was **not** **at all **disappointed, or even fazed, to see Edward was not sitting with his family. I most certainly did **not** feel my heart drop into my stomach when Angela caught my line of sight and remarked that Edward hadn't been in Spanish this morning either. Nope. Not at all. Really.

I got my food and then sort of froze, not really knowing where to go. I was _not _going to sit with Jessica again. What about with Krystal? Would she tell me to fuck off if I asked to sit with her? I glanced over at Angela who looked as though she was having the same problem.

Krystal, obviously noticing our hesitation, shifted her tray to hold it with one hand and used her free one to grab my elbow.

"C'mon. You two can sit with me. If you want to, I mean."

Angela brightened as I smiled. "Thanks, Krystal."

She smiled apologetically. "You won't be thanking me long."

She brought the two of us over to a table of five boys.

The first of the boys was short with dark curly hair and blue-green eyes. He greatly resembled Krystal, although he was defiantly male and his hair was shorter. _He's Krystal's gym partner,_ I realized. Washout black jeans and a green sweater adorned his average looking body. He was eating his lunch while having an animated discussion with a boy who was sitting on the table.

Sitting atop the table, too close to the male Krystal to be considered purely friendly, was a boy with playful brown eyes and bright red hair. He was of average height and had a body that made me think he played a sport. That suspicion grew as I saw the amount of calories he was consuming, alternating between eating his own food and swiping things off the male Krystal's plate. He was dressed in a simple brown pullover sweat shirt and worn-out jeans.

A few seats away sat a boy with straight blond hair that hung in front of his clear blue eyes. He had on a black zip up hoodie over a white tee shirt and faded blue jeans. As he ate, he was talking with the boy next to him, who I recognized as Conner.

In one of the seats between the male Krystal and the blond boy was a short Asian boy. He was fairly good looking with golden brown skin, black hair, and dark eyes. He had on a plain long sleeved shirt and jeans. His head was in a book, but he looked up when the male Krystal spoke.

"Hey, sis. You brought some friends!"

We had the whole table's attention now. Apparently, it was rare for Krystal to bring guests.

The red head looked up, his eyes wide. "Whoa! You mean you actually have friends, Krys? Damn! I lose that bet!"

She slapped the back of the boy's head as she plopped down in a chair next to him. "Fuck off, Tristan. Guys, this is Luka and Angela. They are going to sit with us," she stated with a rather well executed be-nice-or-face-my-wrath glare.

I smiled, sliding into a seat between Krystal and Angela, who sat next to the cute Asian boy. "Hello! And who are all of you?"

"Tristan Blake," the red head replied, reaching over to shake my hand. His other thumb pointed at the male Krystal. "And this is Mitchell Bates."

"Mitch," the boy corrected, sending me a smile. "And, yes, Krystal and I are fraternal twins."

"Get asked that a lot, do you?" I asked.

The boy nodded, rolling his eyes.

"Ben Cheney," the Asian boy said quietly, glancing at Angela.

"You remember me from yesterday?" Conner asked.

I smiled. "Of course I do, Conner."

The boy grinned. "Alright!" he exclaimed happily.

"I'm Austin Marks," the blond said, shooting me a smile.

I nodded. "Good to meet you all."

I was glad that they didn't ask me too many questions, as my mind was on a certain sexy vampire. Krystal, obviously noticing my state of mind, mostly left me be and talked with the other occupants of the table.

I tried not to get my hopes up but as Krystal, Angela, and I walked into the bio room, I couldn't keep my gaze from zeroing in on my empty table. My heart dropped as I walked over and sat down.

_Why am I so disappointed? Even if he was here, all he'd do is make me even more nervous and confused. Plus, now I have the entire desk to myself. So stop mopping around, you dope! _I scolded myself.

Later on, in gym, I was up against Krystal and Mitch. They went easy on me because I was playing by myself. Which turned out to be a stupid move, seeing as I won anyway.

When I got home that day, I brought my laptop down to the living room. Flipping the TV on to an episode of NCIS, I booted up the new laptop and logged into my e-mail. Four new messages.

The first was from my mothers, sent yesterday.

**Luka,**

**Message back as soon as you can. I know you must be busy, trying to settle into a new house. If you need any help, just call. We all miss you.**

**How is the new school? Are the other students treating you well? I have heard Forks has a very wet climate. Is it raining now? **

**Much Love,**

**Clarissa and Jacqueline **

I smiled. It was obvious that Clarissa had been the one to type the message out but Jacqueline had probably had input as well and was just as eager to hear a response as her wife. I opened a new draft and typed out a message.

**I already finished unpacking and everything, but thanks for the offer. Truth be told, I miss you guys, too. But don't tell the others that, they'd tease me mercilessly. Don't deny it, Clarissa, you know it's true. **

**School is fine. I made some friends who are in my classes and sit with me at lunch. Yes, it has been raining pretty much since I got here. I don't mind, though. It's sort of calming.**

**Love you too,**

**Luka**

I sent that off and moved onto the next. The second one was from Monica.

**Hey Luka!**

**How are you? It's only been a few days since I saw you but I already miss you. **

**So how's life in the small town of Spoons? Clarissa said it rains all the time. That probably makes it harder to hunt, huh? Speaking of, have you sampled the wild life, yet? Roxie wants to know if they taste any different there than they do back here.**

**So what grade are you starting off in this time? We have bets going and I'd kind of like to know who won. (I'm betting on Freshman, fyi)**

**Any who, we miss you bunches. **

**-Monica**

I laughed for a good ten minutes before sending her my message.

**Monica,**

**I'm doing okay, you? Seriously, you can get a hold of me any of a hundred different ways, you don't have to miss me!**

**First off, the name of the town is Forks, not Spoons. Forks. Second, it's fairly mundane. Kind of boring compared to back home. Speaking of, have the twins set anything on fire yet? Or blown anything up? Has Roxie beaten the crap out of anyone lately? Did they deserve it?**

**I haven't gone hunting yet, actually, but I'm going to over the weekend. Tell her if she wants to know she can get her ass down here and 'sample the wild life' herself.**

**You guys are gambling addicts, I swear. I'm starting off as a Junior, so you lose. :P Serves you right for thinking I'd start off as a Freshman. Honestly, I'm not THAT short! Let me know who won.**

**See ya,**

**Luka**

The third was from Natasha. _This is a surprise, _I thought as I opened it.

**Hey, little brother. Paige wanted me to dictate a message to you. She's worried about you, being on your own for the first time and all. She wanted to know how school's going. She wonders if you have met any cute boys yet, or made any new friends. She also wants you to know that everyone will be coming up to celebrate your birthday, just so you can prepare for us and all that. **

**She loves you (And so do I, I guess)**

**-Tasha**

_Ah, so it's really from Paige. That explains it_, I thought as I hit **Reply.**

**Paige & Tasha,**

**Hey, you two! Paige, I'm fine. I really don't mind being on my own, honest. It's kind of nice being away from all the craziness that is our family. Besides, It's nice here, I like it. School's going good. The curriculum is really easy so it's kind of boring, but at least that means I'll definitely graduate! There **_**are**_** quite a few cuties here. ;) I made some new friends, too. A number of them, in fact. Thanks for the heads up. See you then!**

**By the way, how's California? You guys are in Phoenix, right? **

**Love you, too (Yes, both of you),**

**Luka**

The last was from the twins, sent at one this morning. I rolled my eyes. _I don't want to know why they were up so late, _I told myself.

**Luka,**

**Hey hey! How are ya? Eating well, we hope. Did you get the stakes we sent over?**

**Where is it you were sent this time? Washington? Nice and rainy there, huh? **

**Soooo…we MAY have broken one of Clarissa's favorite sets of china…you know, the Halloween one…see, one of our experiments sorta-kinda blew up and it rocked the house, which made the china fall and shatter. She hasn't noticed yet 'cause we've kept her away from the dining room for the day. Anyway, we were wondering if you possibly remembered where Jacqueline got them from. (Don't pretend that you weren't the one who suggested the set, we know you were.)**

**We worship the ground you walk on,**

**Es & Em**

I snorted at the 'worship the ground you walk on' sign off.

**Twins,**

**I'm good. I did get the stakes and had them last night for dinner. They were delicious. Of course, I might have liked them more if they hadn't popped out of thin air and dropped onto my head just as I was getting to sleep. Let me guess, another one of your inventions? **

**Yes, I'm in Washington. Yes, it's raining. Yes, I'm enjoying it. Yes, I've already answered these questions a million times.**

**You idiots! You know how much Clarissa loved that set! I'm seriously considering not telling you where they were from just so Clarissa's reaction will make you feel guilty for the rest of your lives, but Jacqueline would probably wipe you off the face of the earth, and even I'm not that mean. I'll have the china shipped to you. Just make sure you intercept it before any of the others open it. **

**I don't believe that for a second,**

**Luka**

Sending that off, I went onto the website I had originally ordered the set from and ordered another one for the twins. I shut that down and opened AIM. Just as I'd hoped, Hana was online.

**FlowerGirl: **Luka! How are you? I miss you!

**LuckyLuka: **Hey, Hana! I'm doing good, you?

**FlowerGirl: **Pretty good. How was school? Today was your first day, right?

**LuckyLuka: **It was good, but today was actually my second day.

**FlowerGirl: **Oh, oops! Sorry. Have you made any new friends?

**LuckyLuka: **Nice try but I am NOT giving you their names just so you can hack into wherever and find out about their entire lives.

**FlowerGirl: **Darn.

**LuckyLuka: **However, I do need a favor.

**FlowerGirl: **Of course, Luka. Anything.

**LuckyLuka: **I need you to find out anything and everything you can about the Cullen clan. All I know is that they seem to be seven members strong, all of whom are 'vegetarian' vampires, and that the eldest male is posing as a doctor at the local hospital.

**FlowerGirl: **Local as in they live in Forks?

**LuckyLuka: **Yep.

**FlowerGirl: **Weird. Although, if they're 'vegetarians' then I supposed it's smart to be in an area with lots of animals. Do you know any names?

**LuckyLuka: **I know five of the members are Edward, Alice, Rosalie, Emmet, and Jasper. Jasper and Alice are mated, as are Emmet and Rosalie. Edward is unmated. Those five are posing as high school students while the other two are posing as their adoptive parents.

**FlowerGirl: **Alright, I'll get back to you ASAP.

**LuckyLuka: **Thanks, Hana.

**FlowerGirl: **Anytime. Love you!

**LuckyLuka: **Love you, too.

_**FlowerGirl**__ went offline_

I logged off and sat back, watching as Gibbs slapped the back of DiNozzo's head. I smirked and turned off the TV, figuring I had better get started on my History essay.

The rest of the week past with bits of excitement here and there.

I learned more about Krystal and her friends, for one thing.

It turned out that Tristan and Mitch were going out, the only gay couple in the school. Surprisingly, they didn't get too much shit about it. Despite being a small town, Forks was unexpectedly open.

"_People here realize that love isn't something you can control or stop. Some people are still uncomfortable with it but most don't really mind," Connor explained to me one day at lunch._

"_Good thing, too," Krystal said. "I might have had to beat some sense into them if anybody gave my brother and Tristan any crap." _

_We all laughed at the mental image of tiny little Krystal attempting to 'beat some sense' into anyone._

I also figured out that Angela had a bit of a crush on Ben, and vice versa, but neither of them knew about it. It really wasn't that hard to figure out, what with the looks they always sent each other and the way they blushed if they were caught sending said looks. They were honestly the cutest yet most frustrating couple I'd seen in a while.

Speaking of cute and frustrating, Edward Cullen never came back to school after Monday.

Every day, I looked for him at lunch and biology. Every day, he wasn't there, and every day, I was left confused about how to feel about that. I was slightly relieved that I didn't have any reason to be nervous or uptight, but also concerned that Edward had left because of me. _But that's ridiculous, _I told myself.

Alice smiled at me and often said hi to me in gym but we didn't interact beyond that. One morning, when I was leaning against my car and pretending to study, as I often did, I thought she was coming over to talk with me. As she stepped forward, though, Jasper put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head slightly. Alice seemed to deflate a bit but nodded and didn't fight as he lead her away. _That was…weird, _I thought.

The weekend passed quickly. I went hunting on Saturday, happy to find that the rain did not hinder my ability to pursue my prey effectively. When I got back, I drew a steaming hot bubble bath and sunk into it happily, wiping away the evidence of my activities. Sunday, I was bored and ended up rereading _Wuthering Heights_, as that was the book we were studying in English. Before I knew it, it was Monday again.

On Monday, Angela was the first to notice the difference.

We were all sitting around a picnic table since it wasn't raining yet. Angela and Ben were talking, as were me and Mitch, and Krystal, Tristan, Conner, and Austin.

I was laughing at something Mitch had said when I noticed Angela staring. I raised a brow.

"Yes?"

Angela started. "Sorry, it's just…it's your eyes. They look different today."

"Hey, she's right," Krystal said, leaning forward to check them more closely. "I could have sworn they were black but today they're…um…to tell the truth, I can't tell what color they are."

Unlike other vampires, after I hunt, my eyes go back to the color I was originally born with instead of red or gold. My sisters and I have the same problem as Krystal; we can never figure out what my eye color is after I hunt. The main color was probably gray-silver, but there are also flakes of greens, blues, and other colors we can't really identify. My sisters told me they were pretty but all I saw was another trait that made it harder to blend with the humans.

I laughed, glad I already had a cover story for this. "I guess I didn't tell you guys yet. My eyes tend to change color like that a lot. I'm not too sure why." The sorta-kinda-lie slipped off my tongue easily.

The entire table spent the rest of the time arguing about what color my eyes were that day. Well, Angela and Ben were quieter than the rest, only adding their two cents to say that the two of them thought my eyes were just multicolored.

We had a surprise test on the chapters of _Wuthering Heights_ we had read in English, which made me glad I'd reread the book.

"That was hell," Krystal groaned as we walked out of the room.

My brows furrowed. "I thought it was rather easy. Wait, did you actually read the chapters?"

Krystal smiled sheepishly. Suddenly, she stopped, and her eyes got wide.

"What?"

"Look."

I did and smiled. "Snow."

"Snow," Krystal echoed, a big grin on her face. She eyed me as we continued walking. "So do you like snow? Or not?"

I nodded, smiling serenely at the white flakes that swirled in the air before landing and gathering on the ground. "When it falls like this…it's so peaceful, you know? Peaceful moments are few and far between in the world nowadays so I think it's nice when one happens and you have the time to just stop and soak it up. Like when the snow falls."

"Wow…that was…deep," Krystal said, her tone starling me out of my thoughts.

I smiled down at the girl apologetically. "Heh, sorry. My sisters say I occasionally tap into my inner philosopher without realizing it."

"Somehow, I don't doubt it." A large ball of mush then flew through the air and hit Krystal square in the back of the head. She whirled and saw Mitch grinning. With an evil smile, the dark haired girl picked up a ball of the white slush at her feet and started towards Mitch, who wisely turned tail and ran like crazy. "MITCHELL!" Krystal yelled. "YOU LITTLE BRAT! GET BACK HERE!"

I laughed at the siblings and shook my head as I walked to Government. "So much for peaceful," I mumbled with a smile.

All morning long, all everyone could talk about was the snow. Even Angela seemed excited to join in the school-wide after-school snowball fight everyone seemed to be planning. I wasn't as enthusiastic, though. Snow was nice but snowball fights with humans could get a little dangerous if I didn't keep myself in check.

I didn't bother dodging half the snowballs lobbed my way by friends, though, and even joined in on the fun on my way to lunch, making sure to keep careful to throw the snow at only a fraction of the power I know I am capable of. By the time I got into the cafeteria, I was dripping wet and smiling wide as I chatted with Tristan. He was impressed with my throwing skills and was trying to get me to join the baseball team in spring.

"Seriously, Luke, we could use your skills," he begged.

"Sorry, but I'd rather not. I want to concentrate on my grades and stuff."

"You're already getting all A's!"

Mitch rolled his eyes. "Lay off, Tristan. Sorry, Luka, he can be so stubborn once he gets an idea into his head."

I laughed, glancing over at the Cullen table out of habit. What I saw made me freeze. I closed my eyes and reopened them, just to make sure I was seeing things right. I was.

There were five bodies at the table today.

_Fuck._

Krystal waved her hand in front of my face. "Hello, earth to Luka! What do you want?"

I looked down and could feel the blood leaving my face.

"Luka?" Krystal sounded worried now.

"What's wrong? Is he okay?" Mitch asked.

"I'm fine," I mumbled, my stomach protesting. "Think I'll just have some ginger ale."

"Are you okay? You usually eat more than Tristan does, and that's saying something," Krystal joked.

"Hey!"

"Yeah. Just not feeling too good," I replied paying for the small can of soda and walking over to the table where Conner, Austin, Ben, and Angela were already seated.

Angela frowned at my lack of food. Then her eyes found my face. "You okay, Luka? You're looking kind of pale. More so than usual."

"He says he isn't feeling well," Krystal stated as she sat down next to me, a frown on her face.

"Is it serious? Do you need to go to the nurse?" Conner asked.

"I'm fine," I muttered.

I glanced back over to the Cullen table.

They seemed to be enjoying the snowy day just like the rest of the students, their supermodel looks being the only thing that really made them stand out. The three males were soaked with snow and the largest one leaned over the table to shake his hair, liquid spraying everywhere. The two females laughed and leaned away from the droplets of water and snow. All of them were smiling and laughing, looking more like supermodels and movie stars than anyone had the right to.

And yet…I couldn't shake the feeling that, other than the air of playfulness, there was something… different about all of them today.

I rested my eyes on Edward and tried to examine him without getting too side tracked by his beauty. He looked a little less pale today, and the darkness under his eyes was less noticeable, but I had to wonder if that was just the lighting.

"What are you looking at, Luka?" Angela asked.

Edward's eyes turned towards me and I quickly looked down before I got lost in that gaze again. The blood rushed back into my face, making me a bit dizzy. I realized with a start that the anger had not been in his eyes. Only curiosity and something like discontentment remained.

_Well, at least he's not angry anymore. Maybe it really wasn't me? _I thought back to Mrs. Cope's office and sighed. _No, it was defiantly me. So then, what changed his mind?_

Mitch chuckled from across the table. "Edward Cullen is staring at you, you know," he informed me quietly.

My face grew hotter as I examined the grain of the wooden table. "How does he look?"

"Gorgeous, of course."

"No, I mean… does he look angry at all?" I asked, looking up at Mitch.

Mitch frowned and looked more carefully. "No, I don't think so. He just seems…interested," he smirked.

"I doubt he's interested in the way you're thinking of. I don't think he likes me."

Mitch frowned. "Why do you think that?"

"He hasn't even held a proper conversation with me but the signals I've been getting from him say he's already decided he hates me."

Tristan shrugged. "I wouldn't worry. The Cullens don't really like anyone."

"Well," Mitch amended, "they've never noticed anyone enough to like them. But he's still staring at you. Kind of making me jealous," he joked. Tristan glared at his boyfriend before wrapping an arm around him.

"Then stop looking at him," I hissed.

Mitch giggled and snuggled into Tristan's embrace, looking away.

Angela, sensing my discomfort, steered the conversation back onto the topic of the epic afterschool snowball battle.

While she did that, I had an internal battle with myself for a few minutes.

_To go to biology or not, that is the question. _

_Oh please, what is he going to do? Rip your throat out?_ Said a mocking voice in my head that sounded suspiciously like Tasha.

_Maybe! You never know!_

_Oh, come on. Like he would risk the entire town, no, the entire country finding out about him and his family just so he could hurt you for something you obviously didn't do?_

_Who says I didn't do anything? _

_Okay, then, did you do anything?_

…_not to my knowledge…_

_Well then that settles it. You are going to Biology. _

_But-_

_No buts! What does Jacqueline always say? "No one messes with an Evans," remember?_

_Yeah, I remember._

_And you agree to go to class?_

_Yes._

_Good. Took you long enough, you freaking schizophrenic. _

As we all left for our next classes, the student body gave a collective groan. Rain was now falling from the sky, washing away any chance of the grand snowball fight everyone had been counting on.

A strange mix of relief and disappointment came over me as I walked out of the rain and into the bio room and saw my still empty table. Mr. Banner was walking around and placing a microscope and box of small slides onto every desk.

There were still a few minutes before class actually began so I pulled out my notebook and began to draw a swirling pattern with my pen in the side margins, planning to make it look sort of like a frame.

I was startled when the chair beside me scraped the floor as it was pulled back, and dropped my pen to the desk with a clatter. I hurriedly picked it up, fighting a blush as I did so.

"Sorry if I startled you," a musical voice said.

I turned my head a fraction, looking at him out of the corner of my eye to see if he was really talking to me. He was. He still sat as far away from me as he could but there was no doubt that his chair was angled towards me. His hair –dripping wet, disheveled, and sexier than ever – hung in front of his cautious eyes. Despite the carefulness in those eyes, his face was sociable, open. A small smile was even playing at his lips.

"Hello," Edward continued. "My name is Edward Cullen. I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Luka Evans."

_What the hell? One minute he's treating me like I just maimed his beloved puppy in front of him, and the next he's acting perfectly courteous? Did I just imagine the whole thing? No way, I couldn't have. Not even my imagination is that elaborate. _I realized then that he was waiting for a response.

I turned to face him fully. "Yeah, that's me. But, how did you know my name?"

His chuckle was melodic, beautiful like him. "Oh, I am pretty sure everyone knows your name. You have been the talk of the town since you arrived."

I winced. "Great," I mumbled.

The vampire looked at me quizzically. "You don't like attention?"

"More like I don't like a whole town of people I don't even know gossiping about me like old ladies."

That drew another chuckle from him.

"Anyway, what I _meant _to ask was 'how do you know my _real_ name'?"

The boy seemed confused. "What do you mean?"

"Everyone here seemed to be under the impression that my name is Lucas. You're the first one to automatically know it was Luka."

"Oh," was all Edward said. He turned away, back towards the black board.

Mr. Banner decided to start class just then and I had to try hard to listen to the instructions for the lab. It was one I had done before a few times, but I still paid attention anyway, trying to keep my mind off the scrumptious boy next to me. The slides Mr. Banner had given us were onion root tip cells. Without using our books, we were to work as partners to identify and correctly label the stages of mitosis. We had twenty minutes before he would come around to see who had it right and who did not.

"Get started," he finished.

"Would you like to go first, partner?" Edward asked with a crooked smiled. I stopped breathing and could only stare at him like an imbecile for a few moments. "Or, I could start if you wish," he said, his smile dropping.

I flushed, realizing that he was probably wondering if I was as dumb as I must have seemed at that moment. I cleared my throat before saying, "No, I'll start."

I took the first slide and slipped it under the microscope, flipping the objective to 40X. I glanced at the slide, taking a moment to find the cell.

"Prophase," I stated, starting to remove the slide.

"Mind if I take a look?" he asked, lightly placing his hand on mine to stop me. My breath caught as a lightning bolt shot through me from that ice cold hand. He withdrew his hand as I did with a mumbled "I'm sorry." He reached again for the microscope and examined it for a brief moment. "Prophase," he agreed, writing the word on the first line of the paper.

"No surprise there," I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

He switched out the slide and glanced into the microscope. "Anaphase," he muttered, his elegant scrawl writing the word as he said it.

"Mind if I take a look?" I half mocked.

Edward glanced at me, his lip twitching as he pushed the contraption towards me. I peered into the eyepiece. _And of course he's right. Damn it._

"Anaphase," I agreed, looking up briefly.

"No surprise there," he said back, a small smile tugging at his lips.

He handed me the next slide, careful not to touch me again. I glanced into the eyepiece as quickly as I could. "Interphase," I stated, sliding the microscope towards him without him asking.

He took a quick peek and wrote the answer on the line.

We ended up finishing way before anyone else. I could see some of the people struggling with identifying the phases – one group even had their book open under the table. Krystal and Angela were still working, so I took out my notebook and started doodling the frame again, desperately trying to keep my eyes on my paper.

And failing.

At one point, I glanced up into Edward's ocher eyes, which were fixed on me. Ocher…_His eyes! _I thought with triumph. _That's what's different about him! His eyes are amber instead of black! He must have gone hunting._ I searched those eyes and found that the confusing look of frustration was back. I glanced down at the desk to see that his hands were also clenched into fists again. _Okay, what did I do this time?_

Before I could voice my question, Mr. Banner came over to see why we were no longer working. He caught sight of our finished work sheet and inspected the answers. No doubt finding them all correct, he looked at Edward and spoke.

"So, Edward, didn't think that Lucas should get a chance with the microscope?"

"Luka," Edward corrected him unconsciously. "Actually, he identified three of the five."

Mr. Banner looked at me doubtfully. "You've done this lab before?"

I grinned sheepishly. "Not with onion root, sir."

He raised a brow. "Whitefish blastula?"

I nodded.

"Were you in an advanced placement program at your old school?"

"I was, sir."

"I guess it's good you two are partners then," he said after a beat. "So the other kids can get a chance to learn something for themselves," he mumbled as he walked over to anther table.

I chuckled a bit, going back to doodling in my notebook.

"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?" Edward asked conversationally, as though he actually cared. He was obviously forcing himself to talk with me and I nearly rolled my eyes.

Abruptly, a thought struck me and I couldn't help but chuckle. Edward's confused expression only fueled the quiet laughter. "Sorry, but," I chuckled again, "you're actually asking me…about the weather?"

The vampire's lips moved into a small smile. "Yeah, I…I guess I am."

He chuckled for a moment and I watched him, the smile dropping from my face. _He truly is stunning. _

After a moment, I sighed. "Look, you don't have to force yourself to talk to me."

Edward frowned. "Force myself?" He sounded surprised and confused.

"You don't like me and that's fine but -"

Edward held up a hand to stop me from speaking. "You think I don't like you?"

"I _know_ you don't like me. What I don't know is _why,_ but I doubt you'll tell me."

Edward made a noise between a sigh and a laugh. "I don't…dislike you, Luka."

I frowned, searching his eyes and finding honesty. "Then what the hell was with the attitude up until now?"

"I…" the vampire paused for a moment, regret appearing in his eyes. "I can't tell you."

I stared him down, pursing my lips when I was met with his stubborn gaze. Looking down at the table, I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated. After another moment, I came to a decision. "Look…why don't we just start over?" I turned to the boy next to me, sticking out my right hand with a small smile. "Hi. My name is Luka Evans. And you are?"

The boy started at me for a moment, his gaze flickering from my face to my hand and back again. Just as I was about to retract my hand, his lips curled into a smile.

"Edward Cullen. It's nice to meet you," he said after another moment, wrapping his hand around mine. I stifled a gasp at the pure electricity the cold touch stimulated, causing goose bumps to rise along my body. Edward was staring at me with eyes of caution, lust, and…puzzlement.

_Well, at least I'm not the only one confused. _"Yeah. You, too," I mumbled in reply, still not letting go or looking away.

"Do you do this sort of thing often?" Edward asked after a moment of silence, pulling his hand away and looking towards the clock on the wall, allowing me a moment to gather my thoughts.

"Err, do what?" I asked, looking at my paper.

I felt his gaze on me again. "Give others second chances."

Finally beginning to get my wits back about me, I shrugged. "If they deserve it."

"And you believe I deserve it?"

I looked up at that, slightly surprised at the question. Those eyes were locked on mine, searching, questioning, almost pleading with me. Pleading with me to understand. _Understand what? _I thought, frustrated. "You believe you don't?" I shot back.

That got him. His mouth pressed into a thin line, but his eyes still bore into mine, searching.

"Why _are_ you here?" He blurted out after moments of silence. His eyes widened along with mine, as though he was as surprised as I at his seemingly random question.

"Um, what?"

"Nothing, never mind," Edward replied, glaring down at the desk with a clenched jaw.

_If you ever want to get any answers out of this guy, you are going to have to answer some of his questions, too, _my inner voice announced.

"It's sort of complicated," I told him before I allowed myself to really think of what I was saying.

He looked at me again, his eyes searching mine as I did the same.

"I'm sure I can keep up," Edward stated in a low voice.

Feeling suddenly shy, I ducked my head and looked back down at my notebook. I picked up my pen and started doodling again.

"It's a tradition," I began.

"That doesn't sound so terribly complicated." I could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

"Do you want to know about this or not?" I asked, peeking at him from the corner of my eyes.

His right hand came up to mime zipping his mouth shut, locking it, and throwing away the key.

I found myself smiling at the slightly childish action. I looked back down as I spoke, not wanting to be taken in by those eyes again. "My family likes to move around a lot – see new places, meet new people, all that jazz. When we want to move to a new place, we all write where we want to go next onto pieces of paper and put the choices into a hat. Then we choose two people to pick two of the choices from the hat at random. Those two people go to the place they picked and stay there for a month or two to sort of test the waters. We all get back together after a number of weeks and decide, out of the two choices, where we'd like to live next."

Silence. I peeked up at him again to find he was staring at me again.

"Obviously, you were one of the one's chosen to scope out a destination."

I nodded.

"And you picked Forks."

Another nod. "My sister, Monica, is the one who wrote Forks on her slip of paper," I told without being asked. "She refused to tell me why, though," I shrugged. "She probably heard the name from somewhere and wanted to know what it was like."

"Now you know."

I smiled at the vampire. "Now I know."

"What do you think so far?" He asked, sounding honestly interested.

"Ah-ah-ah. That's a secret!" I said with a wink.

Edward seemed amused at my antics. "How many siblings do you have?"

"Seven. All sisters."

Edward didn't seem surprised. "It must be interesting to live in such a large family."

"I guess interesting is one word for it."

He frowned. "How would you describe it, then?"

"Insanity."

That drew a laugh from him and I immediately found myself chuckling along.

Mr. Banner got everyone's attention then, ending our conversation. I blushed as I realized how much I had just revealed to him. I was pretty sure he didn't suspect I was anything more than human – yet – which calmed me a little. Still though, half the time he hadn't really been asking in-depth questions, I just kept blabbing on. That bothered me – I was usually remarkable at keeping secrets.

I tried to pay attention to Mr. Banner. Really, I did. But it was hard to do when the lesson was one I'd already learned. Plus, it didn't exactly help that an unreasonably attractive vampire was sitting next to me. My thoughts kept drifting to said vampire, my eyes going with them. Every time I would look over, I found him with his fists clenched in his lap, sitting rigid and still. Thankfully, he no longer looked angry, but as though he was in deep thought.

It felt like forever before the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Just like last time, Edward bolted out the door, the first one out. I sat there for a moment, frozen with confusion. What had just happened? _That conversation made me think he might want to be friends but…what the hell?_

Krystal and Angela walked with me to gym, keeping my mind temporarily off of Edward Cullen. Of course, it was a whole other story when I got into the gymnasium. I could still sense Edward, but it was faint, as though he wasn't in the building. My suspicions were confirmed when Coach Clapp called me aside after I had finished changing. He informed me that Edward was not feeling well and so was at the nurses office, where he likely would be for the rest of the day.

I played alone against Jessica and Mike, enjoying the sweet revenge of winning 8-0, no matter how small and petty that revenge might have been.

As I was leaving the gym, I noticed something on the floor. I bent over and picked it up. It was a choker – a torn black ribbon with a pendant that had some sort of crest on it. The symbol was that of a lion with a hand floating over its head and three clubs beneath it. I immediately recognized it as Alice Cullen's, as she always wore it. I looked around but evidently she had already left. I sighed and stuffed the necklace into my pocket, figuring I would give it back to her tomorrow.

Krystal, Mitch, and I walked out into the parking lot. We went our separate ways, them to the right, I straight ahead.

"See you tomorrow, Luka!" Krystal called.

"Bye!"

As I walked, I felt eyes on me. I looked around, my eyes finally coming to rest on Edward Cullen leaning against his Volvo. His eyes locked onto mine and a thrill of want went down my spine before I managed to look away.

That was when I noticed her. There was a young woman, in her teens probably, leaning up against my car. The sight of her made me stop walking out of shock.

Her blond hair waved gently in places and hung to a few inches past her shoulders. Grey-blue eyes went nicely with a mid-drift denim jacket and skinny jeans. A white lacey camisole hugged her figure beneath the jacket, white ankle boots completing the simple-yet-stylish outfit. Her white backpack, nearly empty, was slung over her left shoulder. She was smiling to herself, nodding her head slightly as she listened to her iPod and stared at the sky. She was beautiful, even I had to admit, and had attracted quite a lot of interest from both the male and female population of the school. She looked relaxed, almost like she hadn't noticed all the attention, but I knew she had.

As though she could read my thoughts, the young woman turned her head to look directly at me. She smiled a warm smile, and I felt a grin slowly spread across my face as I began walking again, faster this time. The girl placed her iPod in her pocket and her bag onto the pavement as she waited.

When I was close enough, I wrapped my arms around her waist, picked her up, and swung her around, delighting at the squeals she let loose as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I placed her down, but didn't let go just yet.

"I missed you, Luka," Hana whispered gently in my ear.

I squeezed her tighter for a moment before pulling back to look her in the eye, noting her wide, happy smile. "Not that the feeling isn't mutual and all, but what are you doing here?"

She leaned against my car again and I did the same. "Well, you remember you asked me about that thing around a week ago?"

I nodded, realizing she meant the information on the Cullens.

"It turned out to be quite interesting so I wanted to give you the report in person."

I narrowed my eyes at her, sensing that that wasn't the full story. I was about to call her out on it, but decided against it. _She'll tell me soon enough. She always does._

"So, care to tell me why that boy over there is staring at you?" Hana asked, jutting her chin towards the Cullen car without looking away from me.

My eyes flickered over to see that Edward Cullen was once again staring at me. He looked…well, to be quite honest, I was having trouble telling what he was feeling. It looked like a mix between confusion, hurt, and anger. I blushed slightly and turned to open the driver's side door. "Later."

Hana complied with the silent request and slid into the passenger's seat a moment later. Unfortunately, my spoken request was disregarded. "Now."

I sighed, and backed out of my space, starting the journey home. I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, avoiding looking her in the eyes.

What would I tell her? What _could_ I tell her?

_Oh, well, it's nothing much really. I thought he hated me for a while but today in Bio he acted like we were the best of friends! Of course, he did skip Gym after that._

I sighed.

A soft, warm hand wrapped around my right. I looked over at Hana, startled.

"I think we're here," the girl said, sounding slightly concerned.

I looked up and was surprised to see she was right. I shook myself and walked into the house, leading Hana into the room I spent most my time in – the living room. I plopped down onto the couch, Hana taking her seat on the cushion next to me.

"So? Spill."

I sighed. "I…" I began, but didn't quite know where to go. "He…We…" I sighed again, wondering how I could explain something that I didn't even understand myself.

"I'm guessing he's one of the Cullens."

I was grateful for the help. "Yeah. Our relationship has been a bit…strained."

Hana frowned. "Strained. How?"

"Well, we are in two of the same classes. The first day we met, I walked in on him trying to switch those two classes."

Blond eyebrows raised. "Ouch."

"Yeah, you're telling me. But, then today he talked to me and we had this whole conversation that was…well, really nice." I ran a hand through my black hair. "Look, can we…not talk about this? Not yet at least. I haven't fully figured out what's going on between the two of us so I can't really describe it to someone else."

Hana frowned before nodding slowly. "Of course. Can I know which one it is, though?"

"Edward," I said, the name bringing with it an onslaught of emotion.

"Edward," she mumbled, as though testing the name. Inexplicably, Hana smiled. "I like it," she told me.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, just as long as you approve. So, you've got some information for me?"

The blond nodded, pulling a manila envelope from her bag. She opened it and pulled out several papers. "Let's see here…The founder of the Cullen clan is Carlisle Cullen. He's the one posing as the adoptive father. He's about 6'2'' with blond hair. He was born in London, England in 1643 and turned by an unknown vampire in 1666. His special abilities include his remarkable control over his basic vampire instincts. He is the eldest of the clan.

"The second eldest is a boy named Jasper Hale. He was born Jasper Whitlock in 1843 and turned vampire in 1863. He has a history in combat and was in the army, both as a human and for the beginning years of his vampire life. He's about 6'3'' with not-quite-shoulder-length honey blond hair and a well-toned body. His special abilities include the ability to read and manipulate the emotions of those around him.

"Edward Cullen was born Edward Mason in Chicago, Illinois in 1901. He was turned in 1918 by Carlisle himself – making him the first Carlisle turned. He was dying of the Spanish influenza when Carlisle turned him. He's 6'2'' with messy bronze hair and a slim but fit body. His special abilities include the ability to read the minds of others."

_That explains a lot,_ I couldn't help but think.

"Esme Cullen was born in 1895 in Columbus, Ohio. Carlisle turned her in 1921 after…after she attempted suicide. She's 5'6'', small, with caramel colored hair. She doesn't exactly have any special abilities, although one of my sources said her ability may be her extraordinary compassion for others. She is Carlisle's mate.

"Alice Cullen was born Mary Alice Brandon in 1901 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Even as a human, she had the ability to see the future, and her family had her institutionalized for this reason. She was turned in 1920 by a worker at the institution because she was being hunted by another vampire. One of my sources said the vampire may have been named James or John but she was not positive. She and her mate, Jasper, met at a diner in Philadelphia before going to join the Cullen's. She's 4'10'' with short, dark hair. Her special abilities include clairvoyance.

"Rosalie Hale was born under that same name in 1915 in Rochester, New York. She was born into wealth and beauty. Unfortunately, that didn't buy her happiness as in 1933, her fiancé and a group of his drunk friends…they…they gang raped her…and beat her, leaving her to die in the streets."

I sucked in a breath and swallowed back the bile in my throat. Both of us knew what something like that was like. I put my arm around her shoulders in silent support. She took a deep breath and continued.

"Carlisle found her there and turned her. He originally wanted her to be Edward's mate but it didn't work out that way, apparently. She is 5'9'' with long, pale blond hair and no special abilities."

"Before you go on, did she kill the bastards that did that to her?" I asked, venom in my voice.

Hana nodded solemnly. "Yes. According to my sources, she was very theatrical in scaring them thoroughly before finishing them off. More so with her ex-fiancé."

"Good," I replied darkly. "Continue, please."

Hana took another breath. "Last but not least is Emmet Cullen, born Emmet McCarty in 1915 in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. In 1935, Rosalie came across him while he was being mauled by a bear. She rescued him and carried him back to Carlisle so he could save him. He did and Emmet is now Rosalie's mate. He's 6'5'' with black hair and large muscles. He has no known special abilities, other than his strength."

We sat in silence for a few moments, allowing the information to sink in. My brain was racing. "Wow," I said, breaking the silence. "Nice job. Some of that stuff was pretty in depth. You must have some great sources. Wish I knew who they are."

"That, dearest brother, is a secret, even from you," Hana said with a wink.

I laughed. "Alright. So, what do you say to going out for dinner? I don't really feel like cooking."

Hana nodded and stood. "Sure. Let's get going."


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** The New Kid  
**Author: **JJ Murilega  
**Rating:** Well, this chapter is T but others will be NC17(AKA: M)  
**Summary: **Hi, I'm Luka Evans. I've just moved to the small town of Forks, Washington. On my first day of school, I managed to piss of the queen bee and discover that a clan of vegetarian vampires had been living there for the past few years. But there's something strange about one of the vampires. The feelings I get when I'm around him are like nothing I've ever felt before. Wait, now there's a pack of pissed off wolf-shifters, too? Oh, fucking _great_!  
**Parings: **Esme/Carlisle, Emmet/Rosalie, Alice/Jasper, Edward/MaleOC, Others**  
Warnings:** multiple doses of slash, fem!slash, cross-dressing, lesbians and gays, violence, sexy situations  
THERE IS SOME FLUFFY-ISH STUFF BETWEEN TWO MALES IN THIS CHAPTER. DON'T LIKE, DON'T READ!

**Chapter Three**

I awoke the next morning to the smell of breakfast cooking. I was slightly confused and went down into the kitchen to see what was going on, not bothering to change. Hana was there, dressed in the same outfit as yesterday, minus her shoes and jacket and plus a frilly white apron. My sisters had all given it to me as a sort of gag-going-away-gift.

She was standing at the stove, flipping pancakes while stirring some eggs. I could also smell some sausages and croissants cooking in the oven.

"Good morning," Hana chirped before looking over her shoulder at me with a smile. "Sleep well?"

"What's all this?" I asked, ignoring her question.

"I'm making breakfast."

"Obviously. But why? I can make us something."

Hana turned her attention back to the food, rolling her eyes. "Relax. Believe it or not, you aren't the only one in the family who knows how to cook. Now, go get dressed and I'll finish this."

I looked down and realized that I was only in the baggy pair of grey sweat pants that acted as my pajamas. I shrugged it off. My sisters and I were very comfortable with each other. We can change in front of each other fully and feel no embarrassment. We talk about things that usually only close friends talk about, and we know we can go to each other for anything at any time. It's nice, honestly.

I ran back upstairs and tugged on a pair of black jeans and a navy blue sweater that was thin yet very warm, which was strange. But, hey, it kept me warm and made me look pretty good, so I had no complaints.

I went down stairs and began to scarf down breakfast between talking with Hana.

"See you, Hana!" I called as I was about to leave.

"Wait, Luka!"

I did as I was asked.

Hana walked into the room, shrugging on her jacket. "I'll probably be gone again by the time you get back. I really did just want to give you that stuff in person. Some of it was pretty heavy so…I didn't really like the idea of you being alone to read it."

I smiled, believing her. "Alright. Then, I'll see you when I see you." I pulled the young woman into a tight hug, a slight ache in my heart. I hated to admit it, but I missed my family. "Bye, Hana."

"Good bye, Luka. See you soon."

With that, I left.

I looked at the roads and held back a groan. Snow and ice covered everything in sight. I was alright on ice, but humans weren't._ I get the feeling there's going to be a lot of accidents._

I drove to school and parked carefully, on the lookout for any reckless drivers. I had less trouble than I'd expected, driving my new car on black ice. I stepped out of my car and something silver caught my eye. I walked carefully around to the back of my car and saw why I hadn't had trouble. Silver snow chains crossed in diamonds on my tires.

_Thanks, Hana, _I thought with a loving smile. She had always known what I needed, even when I didn't.

A horrid screeching sound filled the air just then and I winced before looking up.

My eyes immediately snapped towards Edward Cullen who stood more than half way across the lot next to his smallest sister. His face was contorted into a mask of horror. My attention was then drawn to the cause of screeching sound I heard: a large, dark blue van. It was skidding, tires squealing deafeningly against the brakes – and it was headed straight for me. I knew there was nothing I could do without risking revealing myself so I straightened and braced myself for the impact. At least I knew that it would only hurt a hell of a lot and that I wouldn't die. _Probably._

An impact came, alright. Just not from where I was expecting. Just before the van hit the back of my car, something hit me.

Whatever it was, it was cold and solid and it pinned me to the ground just behind the car I'd parked next to. But I didn't have time worry about what it was. The van, that retched van, had hit the edge of my car and was still spinning, once again headed straight for me.

Then I heard that voice, that beautiful melodic voice that was immediately identifiable. It uttered a single profanity but things started happening again before I really had the chance to process what was going on.

Two long, pale hands shot out protectively over me. The van stopped not a foot from my face, a large dent now present in its side were the man with me had kept it from hitting me with his bare hands. Just when I thought I could relax, one of his hands snatched at the underbody of the van. Something then dragged me in such a way that my legs swung back and hit the tires of another car behind me. Then, right where my legs had been, the dark blue monstrosity settled into the asphalt with more of those hideous noises that made me think my ears might really bleed.

Silence. Silence was all there was for one long moment.

Then, all at once, the screaming started. Shouts of my name and several people screaming for somebody to call 911 filled the air. But over everything else, the anxious voice right next to my ear was what took precedence.

"Luka? Are you alright?" Edward Cullen asked, his breath brushing my ear.

"Yeah," I mumbled, not quite sure it was true just yet. I was sort of numb, to be honest. "Yeah, I'm alright."

I tried to sit up, but he held me against him in a strong, protective grip. I gathered up some strength to push against him. Sure, I wanted him to hold me, but not like this.

"Be careful," he cautioned. "You hit your head pretty hard."

It was then that I felt the throbbing pain just above my left ear.

I must have made some sort of noise of pain, as Edward chuckled, "That's what I thought."

_The bastard's laughing at me_, I thought sourly. Feeling began seeping back into my body, starting with pain. There was pain everywhere it seemed. My head, both legs, my left arm. Pain. I bit my lip. _You've had worse, Luka. Suck it up._

Suddenly, I realized what had just happened. Edward had saved me from that van. While I probably would have lived anyway, he had still saved me from a whole lot of pain, nagging, and paperwork. And what did he get in return? The possibility that he and his family could have just been exposed in front of the entire school.

Before I could warn him, tell him to leave, the crowd of people found us. Tears marked most faces, and shouting filled my ears. Everyone was shouting something at someone, it seemed.

"Everybody get back!"

"Get Tyler out of the van!"

"Someone call 911!"

"I just did! The ambulance is on its way!"

I tried to stand but Edward put his hand on my shoulder.

"You stay put for now," Edward commanded.

I stared hard at him._ Don't you realize the position you just put your family in? You idiot! _"I can take care of myself."

My tone must have taken him aback because he allowed me to stand. Unfortunately, I must have stood too fast because I got kind of dizzy for a moment and stumbled. And then I was being pressed against something cool. I sighed, liking the feel if it. It was firm and solid and the cool felt nice against my body. A blush rose to my cheeks as I realized that Edward was gently cradling me to his chest.

"I'm not so sure you can," Edward mumbled, much too low for a human to hear.

"I heard that," I stated petulantly.

I shoved Edward lightly, slightly disappointed when he complied and pulled away. I tried to take a step, to get out of the little cavern the cars had created, but another wave of dizziness made me once again stumble and almost fall. A long, quick arm caught me around my waist before I could, thankfully.

"Easy. Like I said, you hit your head pretty hard."

Wailing sirens alerted me that the ambulance was a few minutes away.

"Come on, I should be out of here so when the ambulance comes they can check me over, and this can all be over and done with," I insisted as I started struggling against his grip.

Suddenly, my feet were no longer on the ground.

"What the hell!" I exclaimed as my hands reached out, frantically trying to find something to hold onto. That something came in the form of Edward Cullen's shirt. Holding the material in my fists, I become conscious of the fact that Edward was now carrying me bridal style. A blush spread across my cheeks.

"You need to stop moving so much," Edward ordered.

"Put. Me. Down," I demanded.

He complied, but not in the way I wanted. He dropped to the ground gracefully, sitting crisscross with me in his lap. "There. Happy?" He asked, teasing.

I glared at the pale boy._ Yes,_ I thought, looking into his amused eyes. "No," I said through clenched teeth.

Despite my protests, Edward made me stay still until six EMT's, Mr. Varner, and Coach Clapp managed to move the van away far enough to get the stretchers to us. Edward somehow managed to get out of having to ride on his while simultaneously convincing the EMT's that I may have a mild concussion, and therefore needed mine. I even had to wear a (completely unnecessary) neck brace while Edward got to ride along in front. Bastard.

Just before the EMT's closed the doors, I caught sight of the Cullens. They were all standing with various expressions ranging from displeasure (Jasper) to worry (Alice and Emmett) to rage (Rosalie). I didn't blame them, quite honestly.

The EMT's unloaded me and a hospital worker brought me into the emergency room – a long, white room filled with hospital beds separated only by flimsy looking curtains. The nurse stuck a thermometer under my tongue and a pressure cuff onto my right arm. Knowing that it wasn't necessary, I tore of my neck brace and shoved it under my bed when the nurse temporarily walked out of sight.

More nurses arrived with another stretcher and another patient – Tyler Crowley. The scent of his blood hit me like a wave and I fisted my hands, digging my nails into my palms in an attempt to stay in control. I vaguely remembered someone shouting something about getting Tyler out of the van during the chaos following the accident. That coupled with the bloodstained bandages he had me quickly deducing that he had been the driver of the blue van that had almost crushed me. Tyler was a nice enough guy and we were in the same Government class, but we weren't really friends. Still, despite that and the fact that he looked much, much worse off than I felt, he was staring at me with concern in his eyes.

"Luka, I'm so sorry, man," he apologized, meaning it.

"It's okay. Are you alright? You look…horrible, to be honest."

The nurses were starting to unwrap the bandages, revealing dozens of small cuts along his fore head and cheeks. I dug my nails in harder as one of the shallower wounds reopened.

_Keep it together, Luka, _I coached myself as my fangs elongated._ Remember – he's a person. He's got a loving mother and a firm father, two sisters and a little brother who would be devastated if he were to be murdered._

Was any of that true? Probably not. But that was what I did when it was getting harder for me not to attack someone. I gave them an imaginary back story, told myself they had an adoring family or lover or group of friends. It sounded silly, but it usually helped me to reign in my instincts.

Tyler apologized many more times before the nurses wheeled me away to have my head and body x-rayed. After, they took me into a small room with a single bed while they got the results.

I sighed and lay back, settling into the cot with my eyes closed. I lay there for a minute, trying not to think.

The door opened but I figured it was just another nurse and paid it no mind.

"Are you asleep?" a melodic voice asked.

My eyes flew opened and I immediately glared at the site of Edward Cullen smirking at the foot of my bed. "What do you think?"

"Well, you seem to be conscious."

"Brilliant. You're the next Einstein," I remarked dryly.

Edward merely chuckled as he pulled a chair up to the left side of my bed and sat.

"Tell me, how is it you so easily got out of all this?" I asked, gesturing to the room around me.

The boy smiled. "Connections. It's all about who you know. Don't worry, though. I'll spring you, too. Soon enough."

With that, the door to my room opened once more. I turned my head to see a man who could only be Doctor Carlisle Cullen himself. He was average height with blond, slicked back hair, gold eyes, pale skin, and perfect looks that far surpassed any human. He did look slightly tired, though, which was out of place on a vampire.

"Hello, Mr. Evans," Dr. Carlisle greeted, his voice almost as appealing as his son's. "My name is Doctor Carlisle Cullen. How are you feeling?"

"I keep telling everyone that I'm fine. No one seems to believe me." I grumbled.

"Maybe because you were nearly pulverized by a van," Edward stated.

I glared at the boy. "Not helping."

"Exactly how did you escape that fate, Mr. Evans?" Dr. Cullen asked.

Edward shot his father a look. I looked at Edward, debating whether or not to tell the truth. In the end, I decided to give his father the cover story I would be giving everyone else. If Edward wanted to tell him the truth later, he would.

"We have a quiz today in Biology on mitosis," I began truthfully. The best lies, after all, aren't completely lies. Edward looked at me, surprised and curious. I switched my gaze to his father to find he was sharing the latter emotion. "Or, at least, we were supposed to. Anyway, I didn't understand one of the concepts that Mr. Banner, our Biology teacher, said was going to be on it. Edward seems pretty knowledgeable in the subject, so I asked him to help me with it this morning. It worked, thankfully, and he was able to explain it to me in a way I actually understood. We were just wrapping things up when Tyler's van spun out of control. Edward just barely managed to get me out of the way in time. You should be very proud, sir. Your son saved my life."

Carlisle nodded and smiled at his son. "I am."

The door creaked open again to reveal a young woman in a white nurse's uniform. She moved to speak with Dr. Cullen in a soft whisper. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Dr. Cullen, but there is a young woman insisting she see the patient, now."

The eldest Cullen mulled this over. "I see no problem with allowing her in. But please do warn her to be careful with the patient, Sarah."

Sarah blushed at the use of her name by the handsome doctor and nodded. She left to retrieve the girl while I thought of who it could be. _Angela? No, she's too demure to 'insist' so forcefully. Krystal? Yeah, that sounds like something she would do._

Whoever I was expecting to walk through the door, the one who actually did had me widening my eyes in surprise.

"Hana? But I thought you were at the airport?"

The blond girl ran over to sit on the edge of my bed and wrap me in a gentle hug, obviously taking what the nurse must have said about being careful around me seriously. "Airport – news – crash – unknown!" she exclaimed brokenly.

"Whoa, whoa!" I pried her off so I could grab her by the shoulders. "Slow down. Breath. Everything is okay." I paused for a moment, allowing her to calm, which she seemed to be doing. "Now, last I heard you were catching a plane. What happened?"

Hana looked me in the eyes, hers slightly watery. "I was waiting in my terminal for boarding to start. They had some TVs around and one of them was playing the news. I wasn't really paying attention but then one of the announcers mentioned Forks High School. I heard that you and some other students had been in a car accident and had been taken to the hospital, but that your conditions were…were unknown. When I heard that…I don't know, I think I sort of freaked out. The next thing I remember is berating that stupid nurse for not letting me see you…" Hana took a deep breath and pulled me in for another hug. "I'm so glad…I'm so glad you're alright."

I felt something wet seep into the clothing on my left shoulder. I knew I wasn't bleeding, so…

Hana's…crying?

"Hana?" I questioned, startled.

Hana was strong and usually not a big crier, especially in front of others. I'm the reason she's crying, I thought guiltily as I wrapped my arms around the young woman, holding her as she silently cried. "Please don't be so upset. I'm alright, really. I'm okay."

"I know," she replied, her voice muffled by my shirt. "I know you're alright, but…when that reporter said your condition was unknown…I just…assumed the worst."

I sucked in a breath, suddenly realizing why she was having such an extreme reaction. Hana was usually very collected, but one thing that could make her come apart was death.

"Oh, man. Hana, I…I'm so sorry…but you have to realize that even if that van had hit me, you know it would take a lot more than that to kill me. Neuf vies immortel, rappelez-tu?"

Hana laughed a little. Whether at me using that phrase or the use of her native language, I neither knew nor cared. She was laughing now, which meant she would soon stop crying.

Sure enough, she pulled away a few moments later, obviously embarrassed and no longer in tears.

"I'm sorry," Hana apologized, looking at the two Cullen men. "The two of you must think I'm very childish."

Carlisle smiled kindly. "Not at all, miss." I was impressed with Dr. Cullen's bluntness as he asked, "I am curious, though, what is your relationship with Mr. Evans? Are you his girlfriend?"

A moment of silence passed. His question then sank in and I held back my initial urge to laugh, my shoulders beginning to shake with mirth, but a very un-sexy snort escaped me before I could help it. I peeked over at Hana, who had her hand over her mouth, her eyes shining with inner laughter.

Our eyes connected.

Just like that, we broke down. I was almost howling and Hana's tinkling laughter joined with mine, our amusement fueled by the looks the Cullens were giving us – Carlisle confused and Edward annoyed. I couldn't help but notice that whenever Edward would look over at Hana, there was a small hint of resentment in his eyes. We laughed for a while, tears of mirth running down our faces by the time we calmed down. I wiped my eyes, still chuckling as I answered.

"No, Dr. Cullen, we are by no means dating." I laughed a little. "This is Hana Evans, my eldest sister."

Hana waved at them, still smiling wide.

Doctor Cullen seemed to brighten at that. "Ah, I see. Your sister." His gaze flickered over to Edward, which of course caused mine to do the same. His resentment had gone but he was now scowling at his father. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Miss Evans."

"Please, call me Hana."

The doctor nodded. "Very well. Now, if you'll excuse me, I do have to examine my patient for a moment."

Hana blushed and got up off the bed. "Oh, of course," she said before moving to stand against the wall.

Carlisle moved so he was standing right by my head. I kept my eyes open, slightly wary. Something cold – his fingers, more than likely – prodded gently at the spot just above my left ear where a bruise was likely forming.

I winced a little at the stab of pain.

"Tender?"

I shrugged. "I've had worse."_ Much worse, _I thought.

Edward gave a muffled chuckle and I glared at his condescending stare.

"Your x-rays look fine. No major breaks and no concussion. The bones in you left arm are slightly fractured but it doesn't look as though you'll need a cast. Ice that bump on your head and take any of the pain medication you usually would, should you feel you need it. It would be in your best interest to stay home from school for the rest of the week, just in case. I want you to come back sometime next week for me to check your progress."

"With all due respect, Doctor Cullen," I began, "I am a very – shall we say – fast healer. I think it would be better if you checked the progress tomorrow."

Looking surprised, yet pleasantly so, the doctor nodded. "Tomorrow it is, then."

I sighed happily, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and hopping down. "Great! So this means I can go, right?"

"I'm afraid not. Because you're a minor, I need at least one of your guardians to sign you out."

I groaned.

Hana spoke up. "Um, actually, they should be here pretty soon."

I whipped my head around to look at her. She seemed apologetic. A feeling of dread washed over me. "You didn't."

"Well I told you I sort of freaked out! Part of me freaking out happened to entail calling our mothers and telling them about what happened. They said that they'd be here within the hour."

I groaned again, sitting and dropping my head in my hands. "They're probably freaking out more than you did." I sighed, running my hand through my hair, the other dropping to rest on my lap. "Whatever. They probably would have killed you if they found out that you had known and hadn't told them, anyway."

Hana smiled. "Exactly."

"Doctor Cullen to the front desk, please. Doctor Cullen to the front desk," requested a voice over the intercom.

"If you'll excuse me," the doctor said before stepping out.

Hana winced just as I did.

"That's probably them," I groaned, flopping onto my back, legs still dangling off the side of the bed.

Hana sighed. "Yeah. I'll go calm them down before they come in." With that she left.

I closed my eyes, trying not to dread seeing my likely distressed mothers.

"Why is it you don't want to see your parents?" Edward's voice asked quietly.

I sat up so we could talk face to face, and looked at him, slightly startled at the fact that he had moved to sit at the edge of my bed without me noticing.

"It's not that I don't want to see them, it's just...well, when one of us is injured, Clarissa tends to get a little...overbearing at times," I explained, loosely crossing my legs.

"Ah. Clarissa is your mother?" Edward asked.

"One of two. Jacqueline, her wife, is our other mother," I clarified.

"Are either of them your biological mother?"

I chuckled. "What is this, Twenty Questions? No, neither of them are biologically related to me." _As far as I know,_ I added mentally. "What about you? Is Doctor Cullen your biological father?"

Edward's lip turned up at one corner in a slightly dark looking smirk. "No, I'm adopted. You know that."

I widened my eyes and blinked at him, playing 'innocent'. "How in the world would I know that?"

The vampire grew strangely serious, leaning towards me so our faces were inches away. My heart beat slightly faster at the movement. "You were talking about us. Your first day at lunch. Lauren and Jessica told you all about us."

"And just how would _you _know that?" I asked, again 'innocent'.

Edward's lip twitched before he said. "Don't try to play dumb. You're not very good at it. You know very well that we heard every word you said."

Dropping the act, I smirked and tilted my head, leaning a bit closer, delighted when I heard his breath catch. "Well if that's not a sure sign of stalker, I don't know what is," I teased him.

He then proceeded to recite my address.

I grinned, not surprised in the least. Yet, oddly pleased. "Point taken."

Edward's brow furrowed slightly. "That doesn't...bother you?"

"Why would it bother me? They say stalking is the greatest form of flattery," I replied, subconsciously leaning a bit closer.

"Actually, that would be imitation," he replied, leaning in as well, his pupils beginning to dilate.

I shrugged lightly, our noses touching, lips nearly brushing, my heart pounding. All the cells of my brain seemed to be screaming one thing; KISS HIM! "Details, details."

A throat clearing in the doorway broke the moment, causing Edward and I to lean back suddenly, his eyes wide as we both looked towards the door to see who it was.

Standing in the doorway was a tall woman with naturally golden skin. Her flowing hair was brown but seemed to be tinted slightly red and hung to an inch past her shoulder blades. Above her defined cheekbones, almond shaped, dark brown eyes regarded the two in front of her with interest and curiosity, one of her dark thin eyebrows quirked. She wore a simple outfit; a red v-neck tee shirt, jeans, and brown heels.

"Um, hey, Jacqueline," I said, blinking.

"Hello, Luka," the woman replied.

"I should go," Edward said, rising. "My family will want to talk to me."

I nodded and watched as he left the room, trying to ignore the slight drooping of my heart.

"Should I even ask?" Jacqueline asked as she walked in.

"No," I responded.

"Clarissa will insist," Jacqueline said, standing next to the bed I was sitting on.

"Only if you tell her," I shot back. "What Clarissa doesn't know won't hurt her."

"True. But it will hurt you."

I sighed. "Later."

The brunette nodded. "You're free," she said with a knowing smile. "I finished all the paperwork so we can leave anytime."

"Yes!" I exclaimed, jumping up to fist pump the air.

As we walked down the hall, I thought of something.

"Where is Clarissa? And Hana?"

"Hana took Clarissa back to the house. She's really worried about you," the brunette replied with a sideways glance at me.

I pursed my lips. "I'm alright. A little car accident isn't about to kill me!"

"We don't believe this was purely an accident."

I raised my brows but wasn't totally surprised. "You think they caused this?"

"Can you blame us?"

I shook my head as we exited the hospital. "So how are we getting home?"

"Hana called us a taxi. She didn't want you running just yet."

Sighing at my sister's needless worrying, I followed Jacqueline over to a yellow cab car that had defiantly seen better days. Hand on the outer door handle, I whispered just loud enough for her to hear, "They think this is safer?"

Like the "good gentleman" I am, I held the door open so a chuckling Jacqueline could slide in first. As she was doing so, something compelled me to look up at the building one last time.

And there he was.

Edward Cullen stood in a window on the top floor of the small hospital. He was positioned at an angle that mostly presented me with his back, but his head was turned in my direction. Dark amber eyes burned into me from four floors up.

I stared back at the man just as intently, refusing to be the first to look away.

Seconds later, someone else came into the window frame. I had seen her around school, one of the Cullens. The blonde, bitchy one.

She glared at me, face scrunched in distaste, just before grabbing a curtain on either side of the window and pulling them shut.

For a moment, I just sort of stood there. _What bit her in the ass? Geez!_

Getting an idea, I grinned. Cautiously, I dropped my shields, and immediately sensed the presence of his mind. _You should look into getting your sister an attitude adjustment,_ I told Edward.

As I slipped into the taxi and was about to close the door, I could have sworn I heard laughter from above.


End file.
